


Blown In With The Storm

by ThePathLessTrekked



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Memory Loss, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 11:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2848847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePathLessTrekked/pseuds/ThePathLessTrekked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim hadn't been expecting Bones to show up at his door in the middle of a storm, let alone without his memory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blown In With The Storm

It had been a long day of fighting the storm raging outside. Jim had barely managed to get the horses in the barn before the torrential rain hit and he had spent nearly two hours trying to get all the sheep in after them. With a tired sigh he reached down and to rub Jessup’s ears. The border collie thumped her tail a few times as Jim carded his hand through her still damp fur. 

“Good work, girl. Let’s get to bed.” Jim ruffled her ears one last time before turning for his bedroom, his body eager for the soft mattress and warmth of his dry blankets. His hair was still wet and his skin still cold despite the long shower he took once he finally managed to drag himself into the farm house. The last thing he wanted to hear was a desperate pounding of a fist on his front door. 

With a groan he let his head fall back as he desperately mouthed _why_ to the ceiling. He wanted to ignore the knocking, he really did, but as soon as he thought of doing so he also thought of the fact that he might have missed one of the flock, or maybe Scotty was still struggling to get his own herd of cows to safety. With another heavy sigh he managed to shuffle to the front door and open it. He winced at the flash of lightening that struck through the sky, blinding him before he could properly see who was standing pale circle of his porch light. Thunder shook the ground as he focused on the familiar face. 

“ _Bones?”_ The man standing in front of him was soaked through, dirty, and had half his face coated in tacky looking blood. Bones shook. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself looking vulnerable in a way Jim had never seen him. Jim had to shout to be heard over the pounding rain. “What the hell happened? What are you doing here?”

“I...I have no idea.” His voice was gruff and distant in a way that made Jim’s stomach lurch. Bones seemed to shake harder. “I think I hit my head. I don’t even know where here is. I just know your name is Jim and that you’d let me inside.”  

Jim swallowed roughly and nodded quickly, reaching to pull the man inside. Jessup peered around the corner from the living room before rushing over, tail wagging hard enough to shake her entire body. She wiggled at Bones feet and tried to crawl over them in an attempt to get his attention. 

“Jessup, bed.” With a whine she looked from Bones to Jim and back before slinking back into the living room to lay on the plush folded up blanket that was her bed. Her tail thumped when Jim lead Bones past her into the bathroom. “You hit your head?” In the stronger light of the bathroom Jim could see just how worn Bones looked. He’d obviously been in the rain for a while. The water still streamed off his hair like he was in the shower and the cuff of his jeans were caked with mud. With a wince Jim realized Bones was barefoot. 

Bones nodded gingerly, obviously trying to keep his head as still as possible. “I must’uv. I just...I woke up in the middle of a field. No idea where I was so I ...I walked. Saw your porch light on and–” He stopped with a hiss when Jim’s fingers brushed against the gash along the side of his head. 

“Sorry.” Jim chewed the inside of his cheek and carefully inspected the wound. It was still bleeding sluggishly, but didn’t seem terribly deep. “Looks like you won’t need stitches at least. Let me get you some dry clothes. Go ahead and take a shower.” Jim motioned to the shower. He left without waiting for Bones to answer. 

He only made it four feet down the hall to his bathroom before collapsing against the wall and forcing himself to take deep even breaths. It had been over a year since he and Bones had said more than two words to each other and the suddenness of the other man’s appearance was making Jim’s heart beat harder than the rain outside. Taking a few more deep breaths before shoving the churning of his stomach down and making his way to his bathroom to grab a pair of sweatpants and a shirt for Bones to change into. Now was not the time to let his emotions get in the way. Bones was hurt and Jim wasn’t going to let their history get in the way of helping him. 

He left the change of clothes and a fresh towel next to the sink before scrambling back to the living room and falling onto the couch. Jessup pressed her face against his leg, begging for pets in as well trained way she could manage. He pet her absently, staring at the muddy footprints that were seeping into the dark blue carpet and trying not to focus on the sound of Bones shuffling around in the bathroom. Lightening flashed and thunder cracked through the air. 

“Shit, Jess. What am I supposed to do.” He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes and took a shaky breath. “Shit.” 

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat from behind him. Jim turned and looked Bones over. Bones already looked ten times better after the shower. He had stopped shaking and the flush pink of his skin from the hot water made it look like he hadn’t been walking in the rain for who knows how long. 

“Uh,” Bones started awkwardly, “Thanks for the change of clothes. Surprised you had something that fit me.” Admittedly, Jim was about two inches shorter than the other man and slightly less broad in the shoulders. 

Jim just shrugged and turned back around. It was quickly becoming clear that as much as he didn’t want to turn Bones away while he was hurt, he also didn’t know what the hell to do with him now that he was here. 

“I’ll go get you a pillow and some sheets for the couch.” 

“I shouldn’t sleep yet.” Bones motioned to the gash on his head vaguely. “Should probably call the doctor.” 

Jim couldn’t hold back a huff of laughter. He really should have been more worried that Bones couldn’t remember anything, but the fact that he remembered _Jim_ was far more comforting than it should have been.

“I’d love to, but Doctor McCoy probably won’t be much help right now?” 

“Why the hell not?” 

“Well, currently he’s standing in my living room with a head wound.” 

Bones stared at him for a long moment before letting out an annoyed grunt. “Ah.” 

“Yeah.” Jim smirked at him and shrugged. “We can watch a movie or something if you want, though. Keep you awake for a couple hours to make sure you aren’t concussed.” 

Bones nodded slowly and moved to sit on the couch next to Jim. Jim quickly got up to grab a blanket from over the arm chair and threw it to the doctor. He settled into the arm chair, turned the TV on and started to flip through the channels. 

Jessup had crawled up onto the couch next to Bones and was shoving her nose under his hand for attention, licking adoringly at his wrist. 

“Your dog seems to like me more than you do…” 

“You gave her to me, she’s always liked you.” 

“So we’re pretty close friends?”

“No.” 

Bones fell silent and watched the channels flick across the screen as Jim tried to decide on what to watch. “Did I run over your old dog or something?” 

Jim shot him a confused look. “The hell are you talking about?” 

“Well,” Bones said slowly, “Seems like you can barely stand to be in the same room as me, but I gave you a dog. Either I’m way nicer than I feel like I am, or I did something that made me feel like I needed to give you a dog.” 

Jim’s jaw tightened and he turned back to the TV with renewed focus. Bones grunted and fell back against the couch with a huff. It was quiet for a few more minutes before Bones started to shift uncomfortably. 

“I mean, if you really can’t stand me why did you let me in?” 

With a sigh Jim threw down the remote and leaned forward to balance his arms on his knees and focus on Bones. “You’d rather I had left you bleeding in the rain without any idea who you are? We don’t get along, but I’m not that fucked up.” 

Bones stared at him and crossed his arms over his chest nervously. “I just…” With a sigh and ran his hand through his hair before wincing when his hand hit the gash on the side of his head. “You felt safe, okay? I figured that if I remembered you and this place then it had to be someplace safe. Now I feel like this is the last place I should have come.” 

The hurt look on Bones face almost made Jim feel guilty. Almost. 

“Yeah well, I wasn’t going to turn you away, but there were better places you could have gone. Scotty’s farm is about five miles back. Your place is about eight. So who knows where the hell you started.” Jim shrugged and pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll get you a pillow.” 

It was the last thing they said to each other for the rest of the night. Bones toss and turned on the couch and Jim lay flat on his back staring at the ceiling. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but the bright sun that woke him up means he must have at some point. 

He shuffled into the kitchen, feeling the stiffness in his muscles from the hours of chasing down a terrified flock of sheep the previous day. Seeing Bones already up and making coffee in the sunny kitchen made his chest ache. The scene was too damned familiar and it nearly brought tears to his eyes. 

The doctor was still wearing the sweat pants and baggy shirt Jim gave him the night before, his hair was sleep rumbled and sticking out at odd angles. Jessup was sitting at his feet patiently waiting for him to drop something. Jim let out a choked sound before he could stop himself. Bones startled and turned. The stubble on his cheeks stood out starkly, drawing attention to the dark bags under his eyes. 

“Hey, Jim.” 

“You remember?” 

The way Bones suddenly wouldn’t meet his eyes told Jim a lot more than the careful nod. 

“Thanks. For not just turning me away.”  
“You were bleeding, Bones. I wasn’t just going to send you back out into the rain, even if you did know who you were.” 

Bones rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. With a sigh he leaned against the counter. “You kept my clothes?” 

Jim shrugged and leaned against the frame of the kitchen’s sturdy entrance. The house had been their’s once and the memory of it was making Jim ache in ways he had forgotten he could. “I guess I have a harder time letting things go than you do.” 

Bones winced and Jim heard his breath hitch from across the room. He’d obviously hit a nerve.

Good. 

"How’s your head?”

“S’fine.” Bones shifted on his feet and Jim couldn’t help but notice how disconcerting it was to see the usually steady as a rock man so uncomfortable. “Listen, Jim–”

“No.” Bones seemed to deflate in front of his eyes. “I was willing to talk it out a year ago, Len. I’m not the one who waited until you were go to move my stuff out and left the key on the kitchen table.” 

“Please don’t call me that.” 

Jim scowled and pushed off from the wall. “What? Len? Would you rather I called you Leonard?” He threw his hands up, unable to stop his voice from raising. “Or should I just go back to calling you McCoy? Doctor McCoy? Hell, maybe even ‘Hey, you’ would be better at this point!” 

“Jim…”

“ _No, Leonard._ ” Jim’s voice had dropped back to normal levels, but his tone was ice cold. “You don’t get to say the shit you said to me and then ask me to treat you like the man I knew.” 

Bones stared at him helplessly. The dog gave a low whine and slunk to Jim’s side, reaching up to lick at his hand hesitantly. With a sigh Jim closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry, Jim. I know it doesn't fix anything, but I’m so sorry.” Bones’ voice was barely above a whisper. Jim shook his head slowly.

“I’m going to go check on the flock.” He turned on his heel sharply and walked pushed past the front door. 

When he finally came back Bones was gone. 

It was nearly a week before the doctor showed back up at Jim’s door. Jim was ready to waving around his damned shot gun before he saw the squirming pile of pure fluff in Bones’ arms. Jessup was already daintily putting her front paws on Bones’ leg to get a closer look at the puppy, tail wagging. The tiny thing tried to wiggle out of Bones’ hands and he shifted it to get a better hold under it’s stomach, letting all four of it’s paws dangle. 

“Are you seriously trying to make up with me by getting me a puppy?”

“It’s not my most well thought out plan.” Bones admitted. Jim raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop him. The puppy yipped and Jessup’s ears went up and she cocked her head in interest. It took all of Jim’s power not to smile. Bones continued hesitantly. “When I couldn’t remember my own name I still went to you. I knew you would take me in and that you would be safe.” Bones swallowed hard. “If that doesn’t mean something I don’t know what does. I just ...at the very least I want a chance to be your friend again.”

Jim looked at him for a long moment, taking in the other man’s vulnerable expression and pleading eyes. Carefully he took the squirming puppy out of Bones’ arms, setting it down next to Jessup. Bones stared to smile slowly, opening his mouth to ask something. 

Which is when Jim drew back and landed a solid fist straight to his nose. 

Bones stumbled back with a curse, hands flying up to clutch at his face.

“That’s for being an asshole.” Jim leaned back down and picked the puppy up before grabbing the front of Bones’ collar and tugging him into the house. “Let’s get you some ice. You have a lot of making up to do.” 

It took a lot more than a puppy, but eventually Bones moved back into the farm house. Two years later he was sitting on the couch with Jim who was halfway in his lap with Jessup curled up at his side and Cal –no longer a puppy and nearly twice Jessup’s size–nearly laying on top of Jim. Jim yawned against Bones’ shoulder and curled in closer to him. 

“Hey, Bones?”

“Hmm?” 

“You ever remember how the hell you ended up here in the night of that thunder storm?” 

Bones had no idea how he ended up on the front porch, barefoot, bleeding, and looking for someplace dry, but it didn’t really matter now. 

“No, but thank fuck I did.” He kissed the top of JIm’s head softly and pulled the man tighter to his side. “Best thing that could have happened to me, otherwise I probably would have been stupid enough to let you slip through my fingers.” 

Jim smirked into Bones’ shoulder and kissed it softly. 

“You should get lost in storms more often.”  
“There are easier ways to get a puppy, Jim.”

 


End file.
